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It is unwise for a batsman to specifically make up
his mind where he will be hitting a ball even
before it is bowled, unless the circumstances are
exceptional, like a specialist batsman wanting to
keep the strike with a tail-ender at the other end,
or a situation wherein a team needs to accelerate
with several wickets in hand.

Inzamam-ul-Haq (right)
Not the best runner between
wickets, but one of the best 'placers' of a cricket
ball

At the time of taking strike, the batsman should
know the exact position of every fielder. Only then
will he be mentally conditioned to placing the ball
in the right areas.

The batsman should adjust his shots to give the
greatest yield. There is no point in thrashing hard
drives straight to the men in the covers and not
getting any runs, when the same deliveries could
have been played on either side of the fielders
with soft hands, and the batsmen would have got
ones or twos.

The art of placing the ball in the right areas can
be acquired through match-practice. It cannot be
learnt and mastered overnight.

A fast scorer is not one who slogs. A 'slogger' is
bound to fail most of the time. On the other hand,
a batsman who is constantly looking for scoring
opportunities will come out on top. He who
concentrates on picking up singles by punching the
ball through the gaps will be more successful.

RUNNING BETWEEN THE WICKETS

Watching two batsmen steal cheeky singles from
right under the noses of the fielding side can be
an exhilarating experience for a cricket spectator.

Good and effective running between the wickets is a
matter of judgment and experience. It is generally
accepted that the striker is responsible for
calling when the ball is hit in front of the
wicket, whilst the non striker shall make the call
when a stroke is made behind the wicket. Either
party must obviously have the right to deny the
partner's call if he thinks it is too dangerous. In
such cases, it is important that the denial of the
call be loud, clear and prompt. Under all
circumstances, the initial call by the striker or
non striker should be "Yes" or "No", and "Wait" if
there is any uncertainty.

If the
ball is stroked to third man (behind the wicket)
and the batsmen set off for a run, the non-striker
while crossing his partner should tell him whether
a second run is possible or not, as the ball will
be in his direct line of vision.

While taking runs, a batsman should pay due regard
to the running speed of his partner. It is
essential to ensure that each run is just as safe
for the partner as it is for him.

It's not a ghost,
it's Sourav! - Tendulkar
(right) and Ganguly steal a
quick single against England
at Leeds, 2002.

The non-striker should 'back up' as the bowler runs
in to deliver the ball. His feet should be outside
the popping crease when the bowler releases the
ball. However, his bat should be grounded within
the crease. The bowler can run him out before
releasing the ball if he discovers that the
non-striker has 'backed up' too far and hasn't kept
his bat grounded within the crease. The non-striker
should always stand slightly wide of the stumps.

While completing a run, the batsman should ground
the bat short of the popping crease and slide it
over.

The first run should always be run fast.

Once the first run has been completed and a batsman
is in the process of turning for a second, he
should always turn towards that side of the ground
on which the ball is struck, to check how far it
has gone and how close a fielder might have got to
it.

Quick singles can upset the bowler and fielders.
Shrewd batsmen are known for making mental notes.
They figure out who among the fielders are agile,
who are slow, who have good throws, who struggle to
make quick returns, and who are right-handed /
left-handed.

Even if a run-out looks inevitable, a batsman who
is sprinting between wickets should never ever give
up. Many a batsman has made his ground safely
because the wicketkeeper or bowler or fielder has
fumbled with the ball in his excitement to run the
batsman out, or a fielder has made a wild throw.

If the bat is dropped accidentally while running,
one should carry on running instead of stopping and
picking it up!

If a specialist batsman and tail-ender are at the
crease, the latter should sacrifice his wicket if
there is a run-out situation. This also applies
when there are two specialist batsmen in the
middle. A batsman who might be struggling to time
the ball should sacrifice his wicket if his partner
has settled down the crease and is playing
confidently.

A runner if requisitioned should ground his bat
within the popping crease